"I want children."

Sakura slowly looked up from her miso soup to see that Sasuke was staring at her. Her expression did not change from its meek bitterness that Sasuke had come to know as part of the 'new Sakura', though why she was now like that he had no understanding.

Sakura's expression did not change, no, but the sight of Sasuke's face did cause her to lose thought for a moment. She still hadn't completely masked that weakness yet. The sight of Sasuke's face had always been so dangerous to her, and that small moment hid away the strangeness of his sudden statement. She looked him in the eye, without smile. "I hope you will some day."

Then her attention went back to her soup, much to Sasuke's annoyance.

"So you are agreeing?"

Sakura's eyelids turned up slightly, but she stared unseeingly. "What are you saying, Sasuke?"

She did not see Sasuke, but she heard the frustrated, small gush of air that Sasuke passed through his lips. After a small pause in thinking, he found that there was no way of answering without being more clear, though it was a statement he thought was perfectly so already. "You will conceive my heir."

Then her gaze raised more, eyes now holding defiant anger. Yes, that was also a look that Sasuke had gotten use to, though such expressions were usually only saved for that damn Naruto. "And why will I agree to that?"

"You're a woman." He knew that had been the wrong answer, no matter how true he himself felt the declaration was. He could see it in the way that Sakura's shoulders tensed up and how tightly she clutched her spoon.

"Oh, I see," she snapped, though she still managed to keep her voice low inside the restaurant that they sat in. "Because any woman would bend over backwards just to bare the heir of the great Uchiha Sasuke!"

Sasuke frowned at that. Never once had he showed interest in any other woman, yet it seemed to be a theme, almost a joke, for all the towns people to share. The idea was absurd to him, and he found it annoying. He had no idea how that became a topic of discussion, or why people were interested in who he fancied for, but he tried to set it somewhat straight by what he said next, to clarify his train of thought. He did not mean to suggest what she had implied, so he tried to defend the reason of him saying what he had. "Women like children."

Wrong again.

Sakura glared at him, puffing out her cheeks as her grip threatened to break her spoon. Her eyes, hard green diamonds, pierced into Sasuke's. She had no kekkei genkai but Sasuke felt a stab of nervousness regardless, for a split second anyway. There was something about them, whenever she was angry. Perhaps it was her will of fire. "You think, that I'll just stop working, stop going on missions, to stay home and take care of your child?!"

Sasuke let out a long sigh. This conversation was going no where. "This is stupid," he said out loud, leaning back on his booth and turning his gaze else where.

Realizing that she was no longer under Sasuke's attention, Sakura felt herself slide back into her meek bitterness. She was never in Sasuke's attention for very long, even when they were alone like this. She guessed she should have cherished that moment, how ever awful she had found it.

"I only asked you..." Sakura's head shot up when she realized Sasuke was still talking even though his gaze was no longer on her. "Because you said you were in love with me."

"I said that back when I was twelve," Sakura responded flatly.

Sasuke looked actually surprised at that answer, as if he never thought her feelings could change. He didn't think it would change even after all these years, even after his deflection, even after his attempt to kill her. How could he think that? It hadn't changed, but still, he shouldn't have assumed such.

"You know," Sakura said, flattening the small bits of tofu in her soup with her spoon. "Most men propose to a woman before asking her to bare his child."

Sasuke looked bored, resting his cheek against his knuckles, still not looking at her. "Fine. Marry me."

Sakura's cheeks blushed red and she had to contain herself from smashing her fists against the table. She was so frustrated. Beyond frustrated, infuriated, tumultuous! How long had marrying Sasuke been her dream? How many children did she imagine, named and raised in her head? It had been her greatest desire and hope, and here with one stagnant moment, Sasuke had ruined anything wonderful about it. There was no love, nor romance, not the slightest bit of warmth to his cold, constructive personalty. He was only doing this because he wanted to revive his clan. He only chose Sakura because he knew that she was the weakest and likely the most agreeable. Sasuke only thought of things in the way that they could be of the most efficient. That was why he did everything so spotlessly, so impeccable, so perfect. Like an unfeeling machine.

Sakura stood up, and did not care to keep her body from ramming the table. She stared directly into Sasuke's eyes which were watching her after the racket she had just caused. "No!" She turned to leave, but paused, pulling out some yen hastily before throwing it down onto the table. Then she stormed away.